DENVER – Republican U.S. Senate candidate Jon Keyser likes to say, “I’ve been taking the bark off of Michael Bennet.”
But did he just take the bark out of his own campaign?
The tumultuous GOP race to unseat Democrat Michael Bennet took another bizarre turn Thursday when Keyser was asked about allegedly forged signatures used to qualify for the ballot.
Denver7 reporter Marshall Zelinger – who uncovered potential criminal problems with Keyser’s petitions for the June 28 ballot – attended a forum Thursday hosted by the Foothills Republicans Club, where he asked Keyser to respond.
Keyser avoided direct answers, instead stating, “The Democrats are doing everything they can do to try to pile on to try to make sure that I am not on the ballot.”
At the debate, Keyser also did not answer directly, stating repeatedly, “The important thing is that I’m on the ballot.”
Here’s where things got weird:
Keyser asked Zelinger if the reporter had been “creeping around my house,” referring to Zelinger knocking on Keyser’s door to request an interview.
“Did you get to meet my dog?” Keyser asked after lamenting that the reporter had woken his kids.
“My dog, he’s a great dog. He’s bigger than you are. He’s huge,” Keyser said in a video that has since gone viral. “He’s huge. He’s a big guy. Very protective.”
“What did you mean by his size?” Zelinger asked, alluding to a possible veiled threat.
The exchange was quickly framed as a “meltdown,” garnering national attention from satirical political commentator Samantha Bee and MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow, among others.
It also offered endless fodder to Democrats and left-leaning groups.
Chris Meagher, spokesman for the Colorado Democratic Party, responded, “Jon Keyser’s refusal to answer reporters’ basic questions speaks for itself.”
ProgressNow Colorado asked the Denver and Jefferson County district attorney’s offices to investigate possible fraud. Those offices are reviewing the request.
The question is whether the strange interaction will haunt Keyser.
“It has more implications for the general election than it does for the primary,” said longtime Colorado political analyst and professor Bob Loevy. He said Keyser did what candidates are trained to do – deflect a negative question to an issue that works, such as attacking Bennet and Democrats.
“Keyser is portraying himself as someone who is running in the general election,” Loevy said. “I don’t think it’s going to hurt him in the primary. I do think it’s an issue that his opponents ... have a perfect right to build up as much as they can.”
It’s unlikely that the fraud allegations will lead to Keyser being removed from the ballot. The signature collector – hired by the Keyser campaign – could face felony forgery. But Keyser has several layers of plausible deniability.
“Is it possible that someone lies under oath? It is possible that that happens?” said Secretary of State Wayne Williams, a Republican, referring to a circulator’s sworn affidavit. “We need to have that in writing so that they can be held responsible for the consequences of any wrongdoing.”
Republican opponents have been less willing to attack Keyser.
Colorado Springs businessman Robert Blaha – who made the ballot after a court challenge – said the Keyser controversy has allowed his campaign to focus on issues.
“It gives me an opportunity to have a different discussion about the competencies it’s going to take to change Washington,” Blaha said.
Former Aurora Councilman Ryan Frazier said he is too preoccupied with making the ballot and advancing issues to consider Keyser’s woes.
A lower court agreed that the secretary of state’s office was correct to deny Frazier a place on the ballot because of too many invalid signatures. But Frazier is appealing to the Colorado Supreme Court, which has agreed to take the case.
“We’re talking about real people who are real voters,” Frazier said of the invalid signatures. “That fact alone should ensure that these people’s voices are heard.”
Former Colorado State University athletic director Jack Graham was the first to make the ballot by collecting signatures, quietly doing so without the need for a challenge.
“It’s an indicator of why Jack would be the strongest candidate in the general election,” said Graham campaign manager Dick Wadhams.
Darryl Glenn, an El Paso County commissioner, said he has an advantage by being the only candidate to caucus onto the ballot by earning at least 30 percent of the delegate vote.
“When you look at the cost of petitioning onto the ballot versus your return on investment, I don’t think it’s a smart move,” Glenn said. “If you can’t stand up and convince 30 percent of your peers that you’re a viable Senate candidate, then you shouldn’t be in the race.”
A Keyser campaign spokesman said he couldn’t make Keyser available Monday to answer questions.
The spokesman, Matt Connelly, added, “All signature gatherers sign an affidavit promising they will comply fully with the law including a promise that they personally witnessed every signature on their petition. That affidavit also says that they are aware of the consequences associated with disobeying the law.”
pmarcus@durangoherald.com
On the Net
Video interview with reporter Marshall Zelinger:
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Jon Keyser pictured with a large dog on campaign page:
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